India’s highly skilled professionals who want to apply for employment-based permanent residency or Green Card in the US may have to wait for an estimated 179 years, according to a recent assessment by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). Indian candidates face the longest delays in the American immigration system of any group, according to research, due to the annual caps and strict country-specific limits.
Significant Green Card Wait Times for Indian Nationals
A recent report from the National Foundation for American Policy reveals alarming wait times for Indian nationals applying for U.S. green cards. For high-skilled foreign workers with labor certification applications or employment-based immigrant petitions filed in January 2026 or later, the estimated wait times are as follows: 179 years for the employment-based second preference (EB-2), 38 years for the employment-based third preference (EB-3), and 5 years for the employment-based first preference (EB-1). These figures highlight the growing backlog and challenges faced by skilled professionals seeking permanent residency in the United States.
Secondly, American immigration statutes mandate that every country receives the same percentage limit, regardless of total population. Under these rules, populous nations like India and China are allocated the exact same number of permanent resident slots as small countries like Luxembourg and Iceland.